Bone and Joint Infections Types of bone/joint infections Arthritis (infective/septic) Osteomyelitis Prosthetic bone and joint infections Septic Arthritis Common destructive athroplasty Mono-articular Poly-articular 10% Acute usually pyogenic Chronic usually nonpyogenic Pathogenesis Usually follows haematogenous spread Can result from joint injection (bypassing natural defences) Post-infectious (following STDs or enteritis; commoner in presence of HLA- B27) 1 Hematogenous route 2 Dissemination from 3 Spread from adjacent soft tissues 4 Diagnostic or therapeutic measures 5 Penetrating damage or trauma Pathogenesis Bacterial arthritis: predisposing factors Factor In adults (%) In children (%) Pre-existing arthritis 46 Trauma 32 28 Other diseases 23 3 Other infection 9 26 None 8 43 Some patients have multiple risk factors 1
Clinical features Mostly acute onset Monoarticular (90%) Fever mild (60-80% of cases) >39 o C (1/3 rd of cases) Limitation of joint movement Swelling (synovial effusion) Frequency of joint involvement Most commonly: knee Also: hip, ankle, elbow Infrequent: wrist, shoulder, fingers <1 Bacterial Joint Children Adults Mycobacterial Viral Knee 41 54 24 60 Hip 23 16 20 4 Ankle 14 7 12 30 Elbow 12 3 8 20 Wrist 4 7 20 55 Shoulder 4 8 4 5 Fingers 1.4 4 12 75 Several pathogens involve multiple joints Laboratory findings Elevated ESR (or CRP) Neutrophilia (esp. in childen) Joint (synovial) fluid examination turbid or purulent leucocytes >50,000/mm 3, pred. neutrophils Gram stain positive in one-third Blood culture positive in one- to two-thirds Culture other sites (e.g. urethra, biopsy) Radiology Soft tissue swelling Joint capsule distension Destructive changes IF late (>2 weeks) erosion of articular surface displacement of ossific nucleus In mycobacterial infection joint space narrowing erosions cyst formation Septic arthritis x-ray Septic arthritis MRI Joint space loss and loss of the subchondral line in the tectum of the acetabulum Which side? Hyperintense joint effusion and increased signal intensity in the bone marrow. Abnormal high signal in the muscles around the hip 2
Acute bacterial arthritis Children <5 yr > 5 yr Adults S. aureus 11 33 55 H. influenzae type b 31* 1 <1 Streptococcus sp.** 12 13 27 Gram negative rods 5 6 14 Anaerobes <1 1 <1 Neisseria sp. 5 8 *** Unknown 35 34 3 Chronic arthritis Mycobacterium tuberculosis Other mycobacteria Brucella spp. Fungi * before introduction of HIb vaccine ** includes S. pneumoniae, Group A streps *** excluded from most series Skeletal tuberculosis Haematogenous spread early in course of primary infection Extension from adjacent caseating lymph nodes Slowly progressive 60% have extra-osseous tuberculosis prolonged chemotherapy necessary Tuberculosis of the hip Tuberculous Pott s disease (a Barts man) did the hunchback of Notre Dame have TB? Viral arthritis Frequent in rubella (>50% of adult women) rubella vaccine mumps hepatitis B (20%) Rarer causes include adenovirus herpes viruses echovirus 3
Management Differential diagnosis acute rheumatoid arthritis gout chondrocalcinosis Antibiotics depends on age, sexual history and Gram stain consider flucloxacillin cefotaxime Osteomyelitis - Pathogenesis Haematogenous Contiguous spread from an infected focus Acute hematogenous - primarily in children Direct trauma and contiguous focus more common in young adults Spinal more common in adults over 45 years Predisposing host factors Impairment of immune surveillance, e.g.: malnutrition extremes of age Impairment of local vascular supply, e.g.: diabetes mellitus venous stasis radiation fibrosis Acute Predominantly S. aureus (all types and ages) Younger than 4 months also Group A and B Strep, E. coli Children (4 months-4 yrs): also Group A Strep and Haemophilus influenzae, and Enterobacter species Direct Also Pseudomonas species Sickle cell disease also Salmonellae species Clinical features Hematogenous long bone abrupt onset of high fever (only 50% in children; less in adults) decreased limb movement, adjacent joint effusion (infants) Hematogenous vertebral and chronic insidious onset, vague complaints over 1 to 3 months local non-specific pain elevated neutrophil count (<50% of cases) elevated ESR Osteomyelitis Brodie s abscess (studied at Barts worked at George s) 4
Osteomyelitis Anechoic Chronic Haematogenous and contiguous spread osteomyeltitis can progress to chronic Result - local bone loss and persistent drainage through sinus. Squamous cell carcinoma and amyloidosis are rare complications Chronic Chronic Bone loss and drainage through sinus Investigations Bone biopsy Blood cultures Sinus tract culture NOT reliable Neutrophil count, ESR of limited value in monitoring response to treatment Radiography (changes lag infective course by 2 weeks) Isotope scan Management Surgical debridement (may not be necessary in children) Antibiotics for 4-6 weeks (at least 2wks IV) multiple courses may be necessary consider flucloxacillin clindamycin piperacillin ciprofloxacin 5
Chronic Prosthetic bone and joint infection - Pathogenesis Occurs in osseous tissue adjacent to prosthesis bone cement interface bone contiguous with prosthesis (cementless devices) Results from local inoculation at surgery or post-op spread from wound sepsis haematogenous spread Risk factors prior surgery at site of prosthesis rheumatoid arthritis corticosteroid therapy diabetes mellitus obesity malnutrition old age Pathogens Pathogens Frequency (%) Staphylococci 53 Coagulase negative 28 S. aureus 25 Streptococci 20 βeta haemolytic 12 viridans 8 Gram negative rods 20 Anaerobes 7 Usually single pathogen, multiple well described Clinical features Wide spectrum of severity Mostly indolent course with progressive joint pain and occasionally sinus development Some are acute with high fever, joint pain, swelling, erythema. Investigations X rays (changes in 50%) lucencies at bone-cement interface changes in component position cement fractures periostial reactions gas in joint Radio-isotope scans Elevated ESR, neutrophil count Culture of biopsy/joint fluid 6
Prosthesis infection Management Retain / replace prosthesis simple debridement (retaining prosthesis) plus antibiotics - only successful in 20% of cases removal of prosthesis, antibiotics for 6wks, re-implantation of prosthesis - 90%+ success removal of prosthesis, immediate reimplantation, antibiotics - 70%+ success Resection arthroplasty Suppressive long-term antibiotics Prevention Before elective surgery, eliminate infected foci (e.g. bad teeth) Use peri-operative antibiotics Use laminar flow theatre ventilation Surgical team wear exhaust ventilated body suits Prophylaxis for subsequent interventions Category of Acute haematogenous (<6 months duration) Foreign body (eg. prosthetic joint or fracture fixators) Contiguous focus/vascular insufficiency Chronic (>6 months duration) Typical patient type and age Most common among neonates and children. Occasionally adults Adults Adults (>50 years) and children Adults and children Typical bones affected In children, usually affects the diaphyses of long bones. In adults, the lumbar and thoracic vertebrae Generally adjacent to the foreign body Contiguous focus: femur, tibia (after fractures), skull and mandible or sternum (after surgery), or spine after subdural empyema. Vascular insufficiency: toes, small bones of feet The same as those of the acute form from which it develops History Often preceded by injury (which may be minor) or bites Infection acquired in hospital but usually caused by nonhospital pathogens Can be secondary to overlying complicating burns or soft tissue infection, eg. skin ulcers, especially in diabetics Can develop from any type of Probable pathogens Staphylococcus aureus including MRSA, Streptococcus spp. Infections usually monomicrobial Coagulase-negative Staphylococcus spp., Staphylococcus aureus including MRSA, other Gram-positive bacteria, Enterobacteriaceae, anaerobes Staphylococcus aureus including MRSA, other Gram-positive bacteria, Enterobacteriaceae, anaerobes. Often polymicrobial Staphylococcus aureus including MRSA, other Gram-positive bacteria, Enterobacteriaceae, anaerobes Adapted from Tavakoli, M., Davey, P., Clift, B. A., Davies, H. T. O. (1999) Diagnosis and management of. Pharmacoeconomics 16: 627 47. 7